Water Conservation

South Florida is one of the wettest areas of the country that typically gets about 53 inches of rainfall a year. Approximately 90 percent of the water used in homes and businesses comes from groundwater sources called aquifers. The remaining 10 percent comes from surface waters such as lakes, community ponds and rivers. Both surface and groundwater supplies are primarily recharged by rainfall.

Even with our typical abundant annual rainfall, South Florida’s weather can quickly change from deluge to drought. That’s why conserving water year round is an integral part of managing and protecting South Florida’s water supplies today and for our future generations.

By 2025, 6 million new residents are projected to make Florida their home, swelling the population to more than 24 million. More than half of the new residents will settle in South Florida. At the same time, South Florida’s demand for freshwater is projected to increase to 4.3 billion gallons per day – a 22 percent increase over today’s use.

Water Conservation Programs

The District’s Comprehensive Water Conservation Plan includes voluntary and incentive-based initiatives, regulatory work, education and outreach. The amount of water used by the region’s 8.1 million residents has fallen from near 180 gallons of water per person per day in 2000 to about 140 gallons in 2014. Other SFWMD actions include:

Working with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Services to certify nine District facilities as having Florida-Friendly Landscaping

Through the Water Savings Incentive Program, the District invested $250,000 in nine local projects in 2015 that saved an estimated 86 million gallons of water per year. This program has helped local communities save water for more than a decade, investing $5.1 million in 181 projects that save nearly 3 billion gallons of water per year.

The District also administers the Florida Water Star program, increasing water efficiency for homes, commercial properties and communities. More than 900 single-family homes and four commercial properties have met the program’s water-saving goals.

With the voluntary WaterCHAMP program, 98 hotels in 13 municipalities have installed water conservation devices or made changes in linen service covering nearly 8,000 rooms. The water savings can average 20 gallons per night per occupied room.